Saoráil Fáisnéise

The Freedom of Information Act 2014 is in place to ensure governmental departments and listed public bodies make the information they hold available to the public.

The Freedom of Information Act gives individuals the following rights:

The right to access official records held by governmental departments and listed public bodies.

The right to have personal information relating to them amended where it is incomplete, incorrect or misleading.

The right to be supplied with reasons for decisions made or taken by governmental departments and listed public bodies that affect them.

Disclaimer/Note:
There are exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act where, due to specific circumstances, the requested information will not be released, for example: to protect another individual’s privacy rights. If any exemptions are necessary, the reasons will be provided and explained to you by the Irish Water FOI Unit.

How to make a request to Irish Water under Freedom of Information legislation

To make a request to Irish Water under Freedom of Information legislation, please use one of the following options:

Model Publication Scheme

Irish Water is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 (the “FOI Act”)

The Model Publication Scheme has been prepared and published in accordance with the requirements of Section 8 of the FOI Act. Its purpose is to facilitate access to records held by Irish Water by outlining the structure of Irish Water, including a description of the functions, powers, duties and services we provide to the public, the classes of records held, and guidelines on how to make a request for information under the FOI Act.

The Model Publication Scheme provides information under the following six headings:

The Irish Water FOI Unit will issue an acknowledgement letter to you within 10 working days (excluding Public Holidays) of your request being received. The next stages of the process will be clearly explained in this letter.

A decision regarding your request will normally be issued by the Irish Water FOI Unit within 20 working days of the receipt of your request.

In some cases, an extension of time may be necessary to complete the decision. If this occurs while processing your request, the Irish Water FOI Unit will contact you and explain this requirement.

Yes. If you would like to appeal the decision made by the Irish Water FOI Unit, you can do so by sending a request in writing asking for an internal review of the decision to the FOI Officer, FOI Unit, Irish Water, 24-26 Talbot Street, Dublin 1, Ireland. An internal review fee of €30 (€10 for medical card holders) is applicable when appealing a decision and this is to be sent with your written submission. Please see our FOI Fees and Payment Methods page for more information..

The appeal process will involve a full reassessment of your original Freedom of Information request at a more senior level.

If, after the internal review, you are unsatisfied with the decision and you would like to appeal again, your appeal should be directed to the Office of the Information Commissioner.

Related Documents and Useful Links

For further information on Freedom of Information and Access to Information on the Environment (AIE), please find below some useful links and documents:

For further queries on Freedom of Information in relation to Irish Water you can contact us via email at foi@water.ie or via post at FOI Officer, FOI Unit, Irish Water, Colvill House, 24-26 Talbot Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.